Italy coach Luciano Spalletti confirmed on Sunday that he will be sacked after the next World Cup qualifier.

"Last night, the president informed me that I would be relieved of my duties as national team coach," Spalletti said at the pre-match press conference. "I deeply regret this: I never intended to give up, especially when the team was in a difficult situation. I would have preferred to stay in my position and continue to do my job. However, I also have to accept the reality - not only out of respect for the president, but also based on the journey we have taken together, the achievements and the support he has always given me."

He added: "I always see this job as a service to my country, so I want to do everything possible to pave the way for the future of the national team: I will still be on the sidelines as coach tomorrow night and then go through the contract termination procedures. If we play with doubts and speculation, the situation will be worse. After communicating with the president, we decided to act in a manly way and take due responsibility. Even if I am no longer the coach, we must fulfill our duties without reservation."

"I always believe that my players are good. Since the results are not satisfactory, I must take the corresponding responsibility. The Football Association has given me full support in decision-making, but we still have not achieved the ideal results. A convincing victory tomorrow night will help my successor start a good new cycle."

"I love this jersey, this job and my players. Tomorrow night, I will demand the same level of performance from them that I have always expected from them. However, I did notice that many of the players were not performing up to their potential."

"I don't want my departure to end with the performance a few days ago, but with a wonderful game. I always believe that my players are the right ones to impact the World Cup, and I also hope that they can wake up."

Spalletti, 66, has coached Empoli, Sampdoria, Venice, Udinese, Ancona, Roma, Zenit, Inter Milan, Naples and other teams, during which he led the team to win 1 Serie A title, 2 Italian Cups, 1 Italian Super Cup, 2 Russian Premier League titles, 1 Russian Cup and 1 Russian Super Cup. He is widely regarded as an outstanding representative of Italian local coaches and will succeed Roberto Mancini as the national team coach in September 2023.

However, during Spalletti's tenure, Italy only achieved 11 wins, 6 draws and 6 losses. After losing to Norway last week, they are currently ranked third in Group I of the World Cup qualifiers with two games less, and have lost the initiative to directly qualify for the 2026 World Cup.